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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMayor's Newletter 10/82 q MAYOR'S NEWSLETTER -- OCTOBER 1982 Trash Dumpster Update. Since the last Newsletter, the situation with overloading the three free dumpsters has greatly improved. Local newspapers also ran articles on the problem, so this helped deliver the message to our citizens. We are very pleased with the favorable response and the improved situation. Thank you for your cooperation and support. Senior Citizens' Cookbook. Many of you may already know that the Euless Senior Citizens put together a one-of-a-kind cookbook with many delicious recipes. The cookbooks can be purchased at the Simmons Center Recreation Building, Community Building, Library, and City Hall for $3.50 each. Most of the first printing is already sold, but reprints have been ordered and are due the last of October. We are proud of this group for completion of this excellent project, and for the benefit it has brought to all those who obtain the cookbooks. County Commissioner Lyn Gregory. Many of you may not be aware of how your County Commissioner for Precinct 3, Lyn Gregory, has contributed his efforts to improving the streets in Euless. Through his cooperation several Euless streets have been repaved and upgraded. We would like to extend this thank you to him and make our citizens aware of his great assistance to the citizens of Euless. Southwestern Bell Telephone Company Increase. Southwestern Bell Telephone Company has requested an increase in rates. The City of Euless has joined with the Texas Municipal League to oppose the increase which will be considered by the Texas Public Utility Commission. i Beautify Euless Campaign. The City of Euless is planning to enter the Governor's Texas Beautification competition next year. The City was approached by a gentleman who had worked in this program and felt Euless was as beautiful as other cities who had pursued the award. After due consideration, it was decided that Euless would give it a try. We'll need the cooperation and support of all Euless citizens in this endeavor, and know that you all will be supportive and proud of your city. The Parks and Recreation Board and Parks and Recreation Department will be coordinating the project. We will keep you posted in forthcoming newsletters on the projects and progress. The Euless Parks and Recreation Board meets the first Monday of each month at 7:00 P.M., in the Council Chambers of the Euless Municipal Building, 201 North Ector Drive. Please visit and feel free to participate. There is an effort sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Department to choose a suitable "slogan" for Euless' use during preparation for the award in the next few months. 1982-83 Euless Budget and City Tax Rate. Following are reprints of two articles which recently appeared in the Mid-Cities Daily News and which very adequately explain actions recently taken by the Euless City Council. You will note that we are funding the new city budget with a 12% increase over last year, with each homeowner paying less than 1% additional taxes over 1981-82. Sincerely, Harold D. Samuels Mayor exemption ti Euless p on now easyto apply pa y By LIZ NEWLIN Council voted unanimously in Daily News Staff Writer the special meeting to adopt the current tax rate — '/o cents per Euless City Council Monday $100 valuation — and add a 20 officially decided to keep the percent homestead exemption.. same tax rate and add a 20 per- That exemption should wipe cent homestead exemption. out the tax increase that Tarrant Tax Assessor-Collector Bill Appraisal District created when Brown made it easy. it raised home values an average Brown said he can use infor- of 26 percent in Euless. mation on the computerized tax The$10,700 exemption adopt- rolls for Hurst-Euless-Bedford ed last year for citizens more schools to apply the 20 percent than 65 years old and the dis- exemption to Euless abled will be retained. homeowners. The new homestead exemp- Brown works primarily as tax tion was deemed necessary to assessor-collector for HEB keep homeowner taxes from in- schools, but also collects taxes creasing disproportionately for Euless. among classifications of Euless Earlier, city officials feared taxpayers. Business values, for the exemption would be an ad- instance, were raised 12 percent. rn istrative nightmare. Therefore, the city could not They said rebates probably reduce the overall tax rate and still raise enough money to pay would be used to refund taxes the budget. As it is, city officials paid on the valuation exempted. expect new construction will pay Citizens would have had to go to for most of the 12.5 percent in- City Hall to collect the refund. crease included in the new $9.1 With Brown's computer appli- million budget adopted last cation, however, citizens who week. qualify for a homestead exemp- Residents who have received tion from the schools should get TAD tax notices can check to see it automatically from the city. if HEB schools have granted Brown said he also has home- them a homestead exemption. stead information for Euless res- Homeowners who don't have the Euless idents who live in Grapevine exemption may apply for it at tax rate Independent School District. the HEB Tax Office. change unil'oke By LIZ NEWLIN $63,000 by TAD this year. Daily News Staff Writer Deducting the city's 20 per- Taxable values may be going cent homestead exemption, the up in Euless, but City Council new taxable value would be plans to head off a rise in home- $50,400. owners'taxes. Apply the current tax rate, Council will hold an open and the increase in city taxes is meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday in $2.80—or 0.8 percent. chambers to officially set the tax. Other tax entitites — the rate school district,county and others At its regular meeting Tues- — may increase or decrease tax- es differently. day, council announced it proba- Senior citizens and the dis- bly will keep the current 70-cent abled will collect the$10,700 city tax rate and couple it with a new tax exemption instituted last 20 percent homestead exemption. year in addition to the 20 per- Tarrant Appraisal District cent homestead allowance. raised residential values 26 per- Homeowners are eligible for cent and raised business values the homestead exemption if they 12 percent. live in their own home. Rental Mayor Harold Samuels ex- property, for instance, is not plained the council sought a way eligible. to fund the budget while still keeping residential taxes down. Mechanics of the homestead "Working to the middle," he plan still haven't been decided, said, the current tax rate with but a rebate program seems like- the 20 percent homestead allow- ly. Taxpayers would pay the full ante seemed to fit the bill. amount, then receive a refund It should still enable the city from the city for the amount to collect enough money to fund exempted. its $9.1 million budget. Hurst-Euless-Bedford Inde- And on the individual's level, pendent School District has a taxes will rise only slightly. state-mandated homestead ex- For example, a home valued emption, but it works different- at $50,000 for the 1981 tax year ly, using a dollar amount instead would have been raised to of a percentage.